[PRESS RELEASE] Responding to the SIM Card Re-Registration Policy, Kominfo holds a Public Discussion at FISIPOL UGM

Yogyakarta, November 2, 2017 – On November 1, 2017, the Ministry of Communications and Informatics (Kominfo) officially issued a Press Release on the re-registration regulation of prepaid SIM cards. Press Release No. 210 / HM / KOMINFO / 2017 specifically requires mobile phone users to register their number by entering the identity card number (NIK) and family identity card number (KK). After this regulation was issued, there were already a lot of pros cons among the society. Social media also made a row associated with the amount of information that mazes circulated in the midst of netizens. To minimize the misunderstanding of the information in the society, Kominfo cooperates with Center for Digital Society (CfDS) Fisipol UGM, #SIBREKREASI, #FIRAL, and Corps of Politics and Governmental Students (KOMAP) Fisipol UGM held a public discussion “Analyzing The Policy of Prepaid SIM Card Registration.”

Present in this discussion, Dr. Taufik Hasan and Dr. Agung Harsoyo as practitioners of IT regulation in Indonesia as well as the committee members of the Indonesian Telecommunication Regulatory Authority, and Sutrisman as representatives of the Association of Indonesian Telecommunication Providers. The event was moderated by Viyasa Rahyaputra, Research Manager of CfDS. This discussion opened with a talk about confusing news that was widely spread out in social media about this policy.

“SIMCARD’s re-registration policy is only a small part of Indonesia’s efforts towards digital civilization. Digital infrastructure is expected to make all-life-more effective, advanced, and productive. This policy makes it easy for policy makers to identify mobile users who are now dominated by smartphone owners, “explains Taufik Hasan

So the benefits of this policy are projected could be felt by three parties (i) the mobile users: to avoid spam, hoax, fraud, and others; (ii) the government: to maximize the public services, and (iii) the telecommunication service providers: to help identifying mobile users or consumers.

Continuing the first speaker, Agung Harsoyo said that the current policy is the continuation of the previous policies.

“It is important to repair the SIMCARD re-registration database, which before it is enforced, is still filled by irrelevant mobile users. This is necessary, in order to realize civil registration driven by digital civilization “, said Agung.

Then Sutrisman added that the registration policy focusing on prepaid SIM users aims to achieve the National Single Identity, which will collect the correct data that can be accounted for. Registration is applied to all Prepaid SIMCARD users where if they have a new SIMCARD after 31 October 2017 can directly activate the number after buying it.

The event was attended by approximately 400 participants and open to the public. In the question and answer session, the participants expressed various concerns with respect to data security and privacy after this policy implied. But in its socialization, Kominfo again convinced the society that this re-registration aims to protect the community from fraud, crime, and general violation. The maximum limit of re-registration of this card is until 28 February 2018. People are encouraged to immediately re-register the card before the specified maximum limit.